Original article (in Croatian) was published on 25/11/2025; Author: Teodora Koledin
A new feature called “About this account” was recently introduced on the social network X (formerly Twitter), which allows users to find basic information about a profile. Based on this feature, several X users – followed by at least ten tabloids – have claimed that all (or nearly all) profiles of Serbian protesting students on X were created in Croatia, and that these accounts are also managed from that country. Craig Silverman, co-founder of Indicator, a publication reporting on digital deception, told Tragač that X has already had to remove parts of this feature due to inaccurate information. Our editorial team also found that most student blockade accounts were created via the Apple App Store registered in Serbia, with a significantly smaller number created through the store registered in Croatia.
Posts accusing students of having X accounts created in Croatia have gained significant visibility on the platform. User Vukša Dragović (@NaStraniNaroda) shared a photo showing screenshots of six student blockade profiles whose account descriptions state that they are “Connected via Croatia App Store.” These are profiles of students in blockades from the Faculty of Medicine, University of Novi Sad; Faculty of Sport and Physical Education; Faculty of Transport and Traffic Engineering; Higher Medical School in Belgrade; Faculty of Medical Sciences; and Faculty of Economics at the University of Kragujevac. Dragović added the following comment alongside the image:
All student accounts are made in Croatia… 🤦♂️
I hope you now understand why there was never any sound political thought, but only attempts to cause chaos on the streets.
This is exactly the reason why no one is ever given blank support in politics. 🤷♂️
His post was shared by Vladimir Đukanović, a member of parliament from the Serbian Progressive Party, who commented that it was “unbelievable what the Croatian secret service has devised.” Posts from users @AktivnoGlup and @PrijateljNaroda were also widely seen, similarly claiming that the student blockade accounts are managed from Croatia and implying that the student protests themselves are coordinated from there. The screenshots did not remain confined to Elon Musk’s platform – for example, singer Jelena Karleuša shared them on her Facebook page, noting that “ALMOST ALL BLOCKADE STUDENT ACCOUNTS” were opened in Croatia.
What Do the Information Labels on X Actually Mean?
Before continuing, let’s clarify what it means when a profile is listed as connected via the Apple App Store registered in Croatia. Until 2020, iPhone users in Serbia could not select Serbia when creating their Apple IDs, which grant access to all Apple services, including the App Store. Because of this, until 2020, many Serbian users chose other countries for registration – very often Croatia, which was on the list of available countries. There is no indication in publicly available sources that users were ever required to switch their Apple ID region once Serbia was added, so it is no surprise that this information remains unchanged for many users.
However, profiles of blockade students created through the Croatian App Store are clearly in the minority. Tragač found more than 30 student blockade profiles showing that their accounts were created via the X app downloaded from the App Store registered in Serbia.
Silverman: The New X Feature Can Present Data Out of Context
To learn more about this new platform feature, we contacted award-winning investigative journalist Craig Silverman. In his response, Silverman explained:
“‘About this account’ is a new feature, and X has already had to remove some of its components due to inaccurate information. People should be cautious and avoid drawing strong conclusions from what is shown, because sometimes the information can be incorrect or lack important context.”
He also addressed the claim being manipulated among Serbian users:
“It is perfectly logical that Serbian users who originally downloaded the X app from the Croatian App Store will have that information in the ‘connected via’ section. This does not mean they are located in Croatia. Keep in mind that X displays only the data it can access – and that is not always the whole picture.”
We also found misinformation about “student accounts connected to Croatia” on numerous domestic portals – Politika, Kurir, Borba.me, Alo, Informer, B92, NS Uživo, 24sedam, Srbija Danas, and Pink.rs. For instance, Politika claimed that “most blockade profiles are operated from Croatia,” supposedly proving that “secret services from the neighborhood control them, not the students.” Based on Tragač’s analysis, it is clear that the “evidence” referenced by Serbia’s oldest daily newspaper is entirely unfounded.
